Together Forever
by Umbrella-ella
Summary: 'Her forehead rested against his in a moment of aching despair. When Tonks found her voice once more, she whispered, her voice cracking, "Together forever, Remus."' The final moments between Remus and Tonks in the quiet of their small home.


**Together Forever**

_**A/N: I have read Harry Potter fanfictions since I joined in May of 2008— before that, I'd been reading Harry Potter for the majority of my childhood. Now that I think back on it, my years reading the HP fandom have been nothing short of wonderful. It was my love of Harry Potter that brought me here to this site. As an author on , I have been intimidated by the sheer talent in the Potter-ficverse. So many authors here have astronomical talent. To top that off, I think this fandom is full of the kindest fanfiction authors out there. So, in an effort to contribute to my favorite fandom and take a leap, I give you my first-ever Harry Potter fanfiction in the hopes that you enjoy it.**____**(This couple is the reason I joined the fanfiction community.)**_

_**Disclaimer: I'm not JK Rowling. I never have been, I never will be. Bummer.**_

Just outside the small hamlet, known as Ludham Bridge, stood a small cabin, nestled among the sparse trees and marsh-like grasses. This cabin was a strange thing indeed, for many of the passersby— which were far and few between— described laughter and light issuing from the small cottage even on the darkest of nights, though it had been abandoned for years. However, tonight, the air was sticky and warm, causing the townspeople to retreat into their local establishments. The pub was a safe place, surely, they thought. However, despite the warmth of the evening, the citizens of the tiny village on the river felt something. It was coming, whatever it was. The sky was clear, black but for the stars glinting down on the countryside, and yet, the people could feel it. Something terrible was coming.  
For once, had a passerby ventured towards the small cabin that had presumably been abandoned for years, they would hear no laughter, no conversation. It truly looked abandoned.

The owners of this cabin were perhaps two of the strangest people one could ever meet; the man was older than the woman, though not significantly so, with graying hair and shabby clothes, while the woman was youthful and bright-eyed, with bright pink hair that contrasted with even the most garish of clothes. With them was their infant son who, like his mother, had the strangest, _bluest_ hair anyone had ever seen on a baby.

On this early May night, the man, grey-haired and tired (more so than usual, it seemed), held their small child in a bundle of blankets and watched the night sky through the window panes.

"Remus, darling, what is it?" the pink-haired woman called out to her husband from her seat on the frayed armchair in the small sitting room, concerned with her husband's lack of interest in his new novel that now sat untouched for a surprising two hours.

"Dora…" Remus stepped forward, Teddy fussing slightly with the jarring movement. Placing his small son carefully into the bassinette that stood near the window, Remus dropped into the opposite seat.

He didn't want to tell her, not like this, not now, not here. But he plowed on, determined that he would make the most of whatever time they had left here.

"It's time. Harry's arrived at Hogwarts. The Order has been called." His eyes, once a rich chocolate, now a dull, saddened brown, met her crystalline blue orbs.

"Remus…" Tonks shifted in the chair, leaning forward. "You can't. We just… You can't leave, not after…" Tonks bit her lip, ending her plea abruptly.

"I have to go, Dora. Harry needs me." Remus grimaced, tears shining, unbidden, in his soulful eyes.

Tonks glared at her husband, daring him to continue. "What about Teddy? He needs you. _I_ need you." Tonks' hair began to turn red, a terrifying sight to anyone who knew her remotely. But instead of running away, Remus leaned forward, clutching his wife's hand in his own, squeezing it tightly.

"Dora, I'm not leaving you. I'm fighting for you," Remus implored, "You and Ted mean the world to me, Dora, and I can't bear sitting around here waiting for news."

Tonks wrenched her hand loose from Remus' grip, standing to face the window.

"If you're going, I'm going too. We're in this together." Tonks spoke firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"You are my wife; you are the mother of my son, Nymphadora. You will stay here. Teddy needs a mother." Remus moved slowly to stand behind his wife, careful not to wake the sleeping child nearby. He knew that using her name was one of the most forbidden of acts in the Lupin household, and yet, she sighed instead, her shoulders slumping, as if she was weakened by the very thought of his leaving. She refused to look at him, instead tracing the dewy condensation on the window with her thin forefinger. Her hand dropped to her side abruptly and she curled into herself, her arms raising to hug her sides.

"What good will I do if you…" A sob was heard, and then another racked her small frame.

Tonks took a breath and continued.

"What will I do if you don't come back? How will I tell Teddy that his father died, that he charged into battle on a whim?!"

Lifting his hand to her shoulder and whirling her around to face him, Remus looked at his wife, his Dora, took her tear-stained stained face in his palms, and spoke: "We were always meant for this, Dora. I was blessed the day our son was born, I was blessed the day you tripped your way into my life. I have to do this. I have to fight. For us. For our son."

And then, with equal passion and equal pain, Remus crushed his lips to hers, and for a moment, a second, it was bliss. It was everything a goodbye between two lovers, two halves of one soul, should have been. Pulling away was perhaps the most painful ordeal he had ever gone through; he felt as though he was being ripped in two.

Her forehead rested against his in a moment of aching despair. When Tonks found her voice once more, she whispered, her voice cracking, "Together forever, Remus."

"Together forever, my love."

And yet, even as Remus as he removed himself from Dora's embrace, even as he dropped a kiss to his sleeping son's forehead, it was not enough.

"I love you." The words were strangled, taut with grief and sorrow, of the knowledge that he was leaving, but this time, it was for every good and decent reason he could think of.

He wanted to be wrapped in her, to enclose himself in this small, bittersweet moment, and never leave. Remus Lupin wanted, more than anything, to lock himself in this small cottage and never have to leave, never have fight. But those were selfish dreams, selfish whims, whims that would never come to fruition. Instead, he silently swung his travelling cloak around his shoulders and strode towards the door of the cottage.

Remus did not look back as he stepped outside, and with a crack, disappeared as if he were never there.

For a moment, Tonks stood, unmoving, bidding her husband to come back, praying to Merlin he would return to hold her and tell her everything was alright, that aHaHHarry had won, that there was no need for him to fight. A cry startled her out of her reverie and Tonks the Auror snapped into action. Gathering her wand from the end table, Tonks slipped her green woolen cloak over her shoulders. Crossing the room to her newly awakened son, she pecked him on the cheek, scooped him into her arms, and with a _pop_, disapparated on the spot. She loved her son, more than life itself— she would fight for him. She would do anything for him. And her and Remus, well, they would do it together…

_Together forever. No matter what. _

_**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. Review, please! Constructive criticism is always welcome. **_


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